Deprotonated sydnones, which can be represented as anionic N-heterocyclic carbenes, were prepared as Li adducts and compared with deprotonated O-ethylsydnones (5-ethoxy-1,2,3-oxadiazol-4-ylidenes) which belong to the class of abnormal NHCs. The Pd complexes of the sydnone anions (X-ray analysis) as well as of the O-ethylsydnone carbenes proved to be efficient catalysts in aryl couplings of thiophenes.

No abstract

Some mesoionic compounds, i.e. five-membered representatives of the class of conjugated mesomeric betaines (CMB), are in equilibrium with their tautomeric normal N-heterocyclic carbenes (nNHC). In addition, anionic N-heterocyclic carbenes, generated by deprotonation of mesoionic compounds, have been described. The first examples of conversions of crossconjugated mesomeric betaines (CCMB), 6-oxopyrimidinium-4-olates, into normal Nheterocyclic carbenes have been reported as well. CCMB such as imidazolium-4-carboxylate and pyrazolium-4-carboxylate can decarboxylate to form abnormal (aNHC) or remote N-heterocyclic carbenes (rNHC). Most conversions of betaines into N-heterocyclic carbenes start from pseudocross-conjugated mesomeric betaines (PCCMB) which can be regarded as heterocumulene adducts of nNHC. Thus, decarboxylations of imidazolium-2-carboxylates, 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylates, pyrazolium-3-carboxylates or indazolium-3-carboxylates yield N-heterocyclic carbenes which have been used in catalysis, complex chemistry, heterocyclic synthesis, and organocatalysis.

On deprotonation, 1-arylindazolium salts form 1-arylindazol-3-ylidenes which rearrange spontaneously via ring cleavage, ring closure and subsequent proton transfer to substituted 9-aminoacridines. By contrast, the N-heterocyclic carbene of 2-phenylindazolium cannot rearrange similarly and was trapped by sulfur.

The anion of N-phenylsydnone, which can be generated on treatment of N-phenylsydnone with cyanomethyllithium without decomposition, can be represented as tripolar zwitterionic and as anionic N-heterocyclic carbene resonance forms. Its palladium complex was prepared from 4-bromo-3-phenylsydnone and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium and proved to be active as catalyst in Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. Thus, 2,5-dibromo-3,4-dinitrothiophene was effectively converted into 2,5-diaryl-3,4-dinitrothiophenes with 1-naphthyl, (4-trifluoromethoxy)phenyl, [4-(methylsulfanyl)phenyl], and biphenyl-4-yl boronic acid. 3-(Phenanthren-9-yl)quinoline was prepared by Suzuki-Miyaura reaction starting from 3-bromoquinoline. 1-Chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene cross-coupled with phenyl boronic acid, 1-naphthyl boronic acid, 9-phenanthryl boronic acid. 4-Bromobenzylic alcohol gave (4-isopropylphenyl)methanol on sydnone-palladium complex-catalyzed reaction with isopropyl boronic acid.